Brian Schmitz

Endurance Athlete and Adventure Racer

“Dedication, perseverance, and a never ending drive for self-improvement and adventure.” Words to live by…at least for me. And my most favorite outlet for this is endurance sports.

I distinctly remember my first “race”. A 5K foot race in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. It was a mess, but I was hooked. And I obviously remember my most recent race. A 700K expedition adventure race in Australia. I’ve come a long way. I’m still hooked!

I’ll try anything that tests my mind and body’s endurance. All told though, adventure racing is at the center of it all. Adventure racing brings so many unique and challenging aspects to one stage. What else gives you the opportunity to explore a totally unique (sometimes untouched) “off-the-beaten-path” place in another part of the world, pushes your mental and physical limits, provides so much variety (running to river-boarding to climbing), all with 3 of your best friends!?

I started adventure racing 7 years ago, and it’s been a wild ride ever since. Early on I was like many adventure racers: clueless and without teammates. I kept at it, and it wasn’t long before things started to gel. I could finally run with a pack, ride single-track, and paddle without getting seasick. Oh, and I finally figured out how to read a map! Finally though, I found the last piece to my puzzle: a team. A few others and I formed Dirty Avocados Adventure Racing. This was the best thing to happen to my adventure racing. We’ve become a tight group and have grown and evolved together as racers and as a team.

As much as I love adventure racing, I also love the individual sports that feed it. Ultra distance running and cycling are tops on that list. The individual sports also provide what I think is the best way to train for any multi-sport. In other words, as an adventure racer if you want to be a better runner, run and race with runners; if you want to be a better navigator, train and race with orienteers; and if you want to improve your climbing, climb with climbers!